The City Auctions Everything for Charity
Seattle residents gather at a South Second Street storefront to auction off household goods to aid the city's needy.
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Those who braved the inclement weather yesterday and attended the charity auction which took place at 110 South Second Street secured some surprisingly good bargains. It is expected that Messrs. Bickerton & Bell will be able to turn over to the Bureau of Associated Charities about $400 in cash. The sale featured half-wool underskirts, shoes, shaving outfits, hats, and even a three-story fruitcake. Mr. Jerome Catlin and Mr. W. V. Rinehart were among the most active bidders, often driving up prices on small items only to put them back into the stock to be sold a second time for the benefit of the cause. Additional donations included items from the Seattle Shoe Manufacturing Company and the Eureka Bakery. The Bureau of Friendly Visitors is preparing to use these funds to ensure poor families have a happy Christmas.
“They made things lively for awhile. Some of the smaller articles would be bid up... only to be paid for and placed back in stock to be sold a second time.”
Charity auctions were a vital, hyper-local social safety net in 1890s Seattle before the formalization of modern public welfare. Today, similar mutual aid efforts continue in the city, reflecting a persistent civic culture of stepping in when institutional support falls short.
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